Light-Gated Thermal Domains in Nano-Lanterns: Confined Heat Hotspots Sparks Electron Localization for Water Purification.

Peroxyacetic acid (PAA) oxidation technology receives widespread concerns for water purification with minimal secondary pollution. Conventional heat-driven PAA activation generally wastes energy during solution heating. In this study, "light-gated thermal domains" concept is developed in a hollow porous carbon nanosphere (HPCS), and the confined heat hotspots lead to a higher temperature (80 °C) in the internal space than in the solution (40 °C). This endows the HPCS with exceptional redox capacity, optical response, and electron transfer capability. The degradation efficiency of sulfadiazine in the HPCS+PAA catalytic system reached more than 98% within 90 min of irradiation, with a reaction rate constant 11 times higher than that in the non-confined system. The "light-gated thermal domains" induces electron localization and decreases PAA activation energy barriers. In contrast to the non-confined system dominated by the radical oxidation pathway, heat-confinement exhibits synergies between the radical and non-radical pathways, enabling rapid pollutant degradation. Zebrafish embryo experiments validated the pollutant detoxification capabilities of this system. This "light-gated thermal domains" ensures long-lasting robustness of PAA activation and paves a novel way for the development of sustainable catalytic water purification technologies.